Arbitration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Arbitration has a long history in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has been used for centuries under Shari’ah law in the Kingdom. However, foreign investors in recent years have experienced difficulty in using arbitration in the country. Saudi Arabia has therefore enacted a new arbitration law that is an improvement over the thirty-year old arbitration law that it replaced. The new arbitration law is based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration but with modifications to ensure that the arbitration process does not ‘violate Shari’ah’ as practiced in the Kingdom. The article reviews the important components of the new arbitration law and provides a comparative analysis of it to the previous law and international arbitration practice. It also analyses the recognition and enforcement of international arbitration awards in Saudi courts, including the impact of Shari’ah and the new arbitration and enforcement laws. Finally, it provides a narrative on the Saudi court system and its role in arbitration.